


What are we?

by PoemAboutCitylights



Category: Formula 1 RPF, lewis hamilton - Fandom, nico rosberg - Fandom
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Enemies to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Memory Loss, Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-04
Updated: 2016-11-28
Packaged: 2018-08-19 13:15:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8209898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoemAboutCitylights/pseuds/PoemAboutCitylights
Summary: Lewis is about to lose the championship, ignores team orders and crashes.When he wakes up after two weeks, he believes it is 2009 and doesn't remember that Nico and him aren't friends anymore.But Nico knows a chance when he sees one and both of them might get lucky.





	1. The waking

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fanfic inspired by an interview with Nico and Lewis from 2008.  
> They were all comfy with each other, joking, remembering their shared youth, shared hotel rooms and shared dreams.  
> They were talking about how close they used to be and still are, Lewis even said that being on a podium with Nico is one of the best things in the world.  
> They seemed so happy to have each other and Lewis wanted Nico to name his first child after him.  
> Personally, my favourite part was them arguing over their different styles of clothing, since Nico blamed Lewis for not knowing anything about fashion und Lewis accused Nico of having a very 'feminine' style.  
> Overall, their behavior was adorable and I was actually crying by the end of it (haha, my poor fangirl heart, grieving for things wich are long gone).  
> So enjoy my story, here's the first chapter and leave kudos / a comment if you like it.  
> Sorry for the long words, I'm finished now.

It was a race like any other, at least for Lewis. As always, he was giving a hundred percent, doing his best to close the gap between himself and Nico. All he needed were 25 points today, so he drove the fastest he could, ignoring the orders of his team to slow down in favor of heat management. He knew that he could go another few laps, the other car had already delivered data for the super softs and there wasn't a single cloud in sight which meant that the Plan A strategy was working and Nico would not be able to beat him with an undercut.  
But then everything was happening very fast; his left tire lost contact with the ground, he felt something under him burst, his head was hit by something big and his eyes were falling shut before he was able to steer away from the wall which was coming closer and closer.  
The last thing he remembered was Toto's voice screaming at him through his headphones, flames lighting up his surroundings and 25 points turning to 0.

There was a sharp pain in his head, something made of plastic in his throat and the air filled with a unnaturally clean scent.  
Lewis didn't wake up slowly, infact it felt like he was coming back to life after being reanimated, the pain in his forehead still dominant.  
"Wh-wha-wh", he tried but whatever it was that was filling up his throat didn't allow him to say a word and he was coming close to panic when he spotted Toto Wolff on a chair next to the big bed he was lying in.  
"Sh, Lewis, it's okay, the nurse said she will remove the ventilator once you wake up. Let me just call her, she will be here in a second."

Lewis nodded, still trying to identify the room but he counld't remember having been there before.  
Like Toto said, a nurse came in shortly after and he finally got rid of that thing in his throat which had obviously helped him breathing while he had been asleep.  
"I'm glad that you are conscious again, Mr Hamilton. I will be back with a doctor later but for now I'll leave you two alone. You probably have questions."  
Lewis didn't reply, his mouth felt terribly dry and he didn't know what to answer anyway. What was he doing here?  
"How do you feel, Lewis?", Toto asked and quickly got the driver a glass of water when he didn't respond immediately.  
He felt better the second the cold liquid hit his tongue and Lewis had to close his eyes for a moment.  
"Do you remember what happened?"  
Lewis shook his head: "I must have crashed or something."  
Toto nodded, "what's the last thing you remember?"  
"I...I'm not sure. Probably the start. I had a hard time with all those cars in front of me and I think a Ferrari crashed with a Williams", he answered and suddenly his face went blank, "Is Nico okay? I don't remember which Williams it was, did something happen to him?"  
Toto was staring at him, his mouth hanging open while he was nervously playing with a ring on his finger. Strange. Lewis didn't remember that the Mercedes guy who had wanted to talk him into driving for his team was married.  
"Lewis... You were on pole... And there was no crash at the start."  
"But there was! I remember seeing it on one of the big screens and... So what's with Nico? He was so excited for the race! Is he okay?"  
There was something filling Toto's eyes which Lewis couldn't identify, maybe something like sadness? Or regret?  
"Oh my god, is he in a hospital as well? You can tell me, I can take it!"  
"Lewis...", Toto started, his voice calm and careful, "Nico is totally fine. He isn't in a hospital, neither are you."  
"Oh thank God! Not a hospital? Then where am I?"  
"This is a medical station in one of the Petronas headquarters. You have been in hospital last week but we were told that it was just a matter of time until you would wake up and that's why we were allowed to bring you here."  
"Petronas? So this is part of the Mercedes team? Why?", Lewis felt like he was missing out on something, something big and important.  
Toto sighed, "Lewis... What year is it?"  
"What year? 2009! I've just signed a contract with McLaren for another few years, so why am I with Mercedes?!"

  
"Lewis, it is 2016. And you have been part of our team for 4 years now. You were about to lose the championship and didn't follow the team's orders, that's why your car got too hot and crashed into a wall. You have been unconscious for about 2 weeks now."  
"Oh."  
He didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to think. He didn't know what to do at all. So he did not say anything.  
"Look, I'm sorry, Lewis."  
"You are sorry? No, you don't have to be! Apparently, this is my own fault. 2016? Man.  
I don't remember anything at all. So I'm losing, huh? Great, haha."  
Toto smiled and then fumbled a mobile phone out of his pocket.  
"Here, take a look at that", he all but shoved it into Lewis' face who had to blink a few times before he was able to identify the persons on the picture.  
"That's me. And there's Nico! He's part of the team as well? We're teammates?", Lewis whole face lit up in a second and hope was filling his mind, because really, how bad could 2016 be when he was driving in the same team with his best friend?  
"Yea...", Toto sounded a bit reserved but Lewis didn't comment on it.  
"But actually I wanted to show you that", he zoomed in on something and only now Lewis saw what he had missed before, due to Nico's smile which had somehow been in the center of his attention.  
But now another emotion was filling his stomach.  
"Is that what I think it is?", he asked carefully, trying not to get his hopes up too high.  
"Yes, it is. You are the world champion 2014 and 2015. Congratulations, I guess."  
"Oh my God!"  
So he had done it. He was driving for the best team in the world (If he understood Toto correctly, Ferrari was having a hard time right now), he was a three time world champion, in the same team as Nico, but...  
"What if I won't remember anything? What if it will stay like this?", his breath was coming faster now and panic filled his mind, "I might not be able to drive again! I will not remember the last years, how things turned out, what I learned!"  
"Shh, slow down, Lewis. The doctors said that there is a 95 % chance that the memories will come back in the next days or weeks. Right now, your brain is still swollen due to the tire that hit your head, but it will be okay soon. I promise."  
Lewis tried to control his breathing. In. Out. In. Out. Like Nico had told him so many times before a race, back when they were younger, unexperienced and with a bright future ahead of them. The fact that they apparently had made it together, as a team, made him smile and calmed him down.  
"Where is Nico? Has he been here already? Will he come visit me later?"  
Toto didn't answer and a silence filled the room which caused Lewis heart to shrink.  
"Toto, you said that Nico is okay. That was the truth, right? He's fine, isn't he?"  
"Yes, Nico is completely fine. He's just... busy at the moment. He... He really wanted to visit you but.. ehm... since.. he has to work twice as hard as usual until you can get back in the car and, well, I told him to test the new power unit today."  
Lewis felt like there was something that Toto didn't tell him, something he didn't dare to tell him, but what he had said actually made sense, so he tried not to be sad about the fact that his best friend had to work today and would not be able to visit him.  
"I'm sure he'll come by tomorrow or the day after that!"  
"That's cool! Could you tell him that I totally understand that he has a lot of work today with me being stuck in bed? He probably feels like shit because he can't visit me, so..."  
"I'll do it", Toto smiled at him but the smile didn't reach his eyes and again, there was a sadness in the manager's eyes which Lewis couldn't understand.  
"Thanks alot! I'd like to sleep now, those painkillers are kicking in", he yawned, shut is eyes and fell asleep in a second.

When Lewis woke up he could hear someone talking and since there was no other voice to be heard, he assumed that this someone was talking to somebody on a phone.  
"Please, it won't kill you to bring him a get well soon card or something.... He does not remember anything, Nico. So, please, in favor of the team, just come here."  
Lewis didn't know what to do with that information and before he could think about it further, he was back to sleep again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico visits Lewis eventually and neither of them would've expected the outcome.

"Hey, buddy", a voice greeted him when he woke again and this time, he could identify the voice immediately.  
"Nico!", he sat up straight and took in the sight of the man standing beside his bed, holding a silver balloon with the Mercedes logo on it.   
' _He's grown up_ ' was the first thing that came to his mind.  
The angles of Nico's face had become sharper, his jawline stronger, he had lost his baby face and somehow his eyes seemed a bit bluer than he remembered.   
And he had gotten a different haircut as well, Lewis noticed.  
Moreover his shoulders had become broader, his muscles more defined and his smile a little... dimmer? The last part startled Lewis a bit.  
"So, you're awake", Nico said slowly, as if he was expecting his teammate to still be a bit dizzy.  
"Yes, I woke up yesterday. And man, I don't remember anything of the last few years", Lewis grinned and shook his head, "you can sit down, if you want", he pointed at the edge of his bed but Nico sat down on the chair. Weird.   
"Toto's told me about that. So... Bit of a shock to wake up and realize that you've reached all of your goals, right?"  
"In a way, yes. But the shock was fading quickly once Toto told me that we're driving for the same team! It's weird to not remember anything about it, it must have a big impact on our friendship. I bet we're the strongest duo in the F1 right now, aren't we?", Lewis laughed and stared at Nico's sun kissed hair with amazement.  
"Well, about that, Lewis...", there was something in his voice that made Lewis face fall while Nico looked at him.  
"What is it? Toto's said that you are okay but that was a lie, wasn't it? Are you really okay, Nico?"   
Lewis slipped out of his bed and stood in front of Nico for a while, not sure what to do now, but Nico was hiding something from him, something bad, and he knew that his best friend needed to talk about it, that Lewis had to comfort him.   
So he didn't think about it further and just hugged Nico, like he had done it so many times when they had been driving for different teams and Nico had come to his room after an awful race or a miserable qualifying.   
But instead of returning the hug, Nico stiffened and stared at him in shock. In fact, Lewis could swear he had seen horror in his friend's eyes.  
"Nico, talk to me. Is your family okay? What happened?"  
"Let go of me."   
His voice was so cold that Lewis felt like someone had thrust a knife in his stomach and he felt dozens of different emotions crashing down on him.  
"Wh-what?"  
"I told you to let go of me. Now, Lewis."  
The way he pronounced his name was so different from what it had been like before, so different from what he remembered and that was when Lewis realized that he must have done something terrible. That he must have done something that caused Nico, his best friend, to hate him.   
"No! I won't let go of you until you tell me what is wrong." With that, he even tightened the grip on Nico's back and arms and rested his head on the man's shoulder.  
"Lewis..."  
"What did I do? Tell me, please, I don't remember!", his own voice sounded terribly desperate in his ears and there was nothing he could do about it.   
"There is nothing that you did, it's just that things are different now and as long as you don't remember..."  
"Different how?", Lewis breathed and his breath hit Nico's collar bones which obviously send shivers through the other man's body.   
"Lewis, damnit, I swear, if you don't let go of me now, I'll call for the security!"  
"But I'm your best friend! We used to hug all the time! Are you ashamed of that now? Are you ashamed of me?"  
"Why the hell should I be ashamed of you, Lewis?", Nico laughed, but in a bitter, cynical way and Lewis finally let go of his friends body, but only to come face to face with him and stare at Nico, trying to find sense in all of this.   
And then there were lips on his, a hand in his neck, one around his waist and a tongue desperately battling for a way inside his mouth.   
Nico pulled him closer, kissed with a strength and a need that took Lewis completely by surprise and knocked all breath out of his lungs.   
But what surprised him even more was the fact that he kissed his friend back without even thinking about it, without a second of hesitation. He placed his arms back around Nico's neck, one hand finding its way into the blonde's hair and he wondered wether his body simply remembered having done this many times before, because otherwise he couldn't understand why it would feel that natural to make out with his best - and not to forget - male friend.   
Nico was the one who eventually broke their kiss, with swollen, pink lips that made a beautiful contrast to the blue of his eyes and Lewis got lost.  
"Shit", the other driver whispered and Lewis was sure that Nico wanted to let go of him but neither of them was able to move.  
"I did not mean to do this. Shit, Lewis. You've got to remember, okay? Send me a message when you do or something, I'll go now!"  
And with that, he was standing up to make his way out of the room, but Lewis blocked the door.  
"So this is how our relationship changed, isn't it?", his eyes sparkled while he spoke and he was still stunned by the way Nico's lips had felt on his, "we, like, you and me, are in a relationship? We are... dating?"  
Nico didn't answer.  
"Oh god, this makes so much sense! You were afraid that I would reject you because we were just friends in 2009 but you were always so much more to me Nico! I can't believe this", there was a warmth spreading in his insides, filling his whole body with something he could only describe as pure happiness.   
Nico looked like he had been slapped, at least for a second.  
But then something in his gaze changed and he nodded carefully.  
"Yeah, that's about it. But I still have to go. I'll... come back in a few hours, okay? You should... You should sleep now", he took a deep breath, "and if your memories come back, please send me a message. I don't want to be surprised by -... by that."  
And then he was gone and Lewis sat down on the bed, thousands of different emotions and thoughts rushing through his body.  
He had just kissed his best friend who apparently was in a relationship with him, which he - unfortunately - didn't remember. He had just kissed a man for the first time.   
Well, actually, it probably wasn't the first time he had kissed Nico.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So after a looong time, here's the second chapter of this fanfiction and I'll try to post another one soon.   
> This will obviously still be set sometime during the season before Abu Dhabi.   
> I hope you enjoyed the reading and please give feedback:)


End file.
